20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed f...  Read More

Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”1 Chronicles 16:35A mate of mine was drowning. He had a seizure in the ocean and was in big trouble. A lady noticed and swam over, followed by some others. He was going under. But they got him onto the beach and he was taken to hospital. He was safe bec...  Read More

Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one?A. There is but one only, the living and true God.Westminster Shorter CatechismLong before John 3:16 (for God so loved) or Matthew 7:1 (judge not), Israel had a favourite Bible verse. It was called the ‘Shema’. Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. For millennia, this is what differentiated Israel’s worship from the surrounding nati...  Read More

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”James 4:13-15It really is remarkable to th...  Read More

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.Leviticus 16:1-2I’ll talk more about...  Read More

“‘“The Lord bless you    and keep you;25 the Lord make his face shine on you    and be gracious to you;26 the Lord turn his face toward you    and give you peace.”’Numbers 6:24-26There are a few memory verses that most Christians know. John 3:16 or maybe the Lord’s Prayer. This verse from Numbers 6 is one of those verses for Israel.It was a reminder of what it means to be God’s people. It means yo...  Read More

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;planted in the house of the Lord,    they will flourish in the courts of our God.They will still bear fruit in old age,    they will stay fresh and green,proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright;    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’Psalm 92:12-15A Northern Suburbs version:God’s people will flourish li...  Read More

45 “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 46 As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.Leviticus 13:45-46On Tuesday, we were introduced to the idea of spiritual hygiene. God is holy and his people are to be holy. Ther...  Read More

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.1 Timothy 2:1-3Aussies have a bit of a problem with authority. We d...  Read More

Q. 4. What is God?A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.Westminster Shorter CatechismIt’s a question that sounds like it would be coming out of the lips of someone who may have smoked something they shouldn’t have. What is God? It’s a profound question.In Exodus, God introduces humanity to His name. Yahweh. It me...  Read More

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.James 1:5How do you get wisdom? I reckon most people think wisdom comes from a broad range of experiences. For instance, these days, travelling the world is one of the keys to wisdom. But you know what, I’m not convinced. I’ve met plenty of people who are really well trave...  Read More

46 “‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”Leviticus 11:46-47What things disgust you? Is it cockroaches? What about dirty sinks? Or baby nappies? There ...  Read More